Rumpelstiltskin's Apprentice
by HeidiBug731
Summary: Regina found true love with Robin Hood, but their happy ending hasn't been all they thought it would be. Bandits and outlaws are gathering strength against the man who cleared their streets, Regina is rediscovering her magical talents in ways that leave her drained, and the threat of Rumple's return into their lives is growing ever present.
1. New Beginning

**This is a sequel to my earlier fic "The Man with the Lion Tattoo," which centers around what might have happened had Regina entered the tavern to speak with Robin as Tinkerbell had encouraged. That fic includes the establishment of Regina and Robin's relationship and her release from Rumpelstiltskin and the King. It is not required reading for this fic, which can stand on its own, but reading it will provide you with a fuller picture of the events/struggles/relationship herein. **

* * *

Regina stood at the window to the cabin, looking out into the night. The candle she held did nothing to illuminate the darkness outside, but she kept it anyway. The light, however small, was a comfort to her, and she would need it while she waited. She never could sleep when Robin stayed out later than had been expected.

The sheriff position had been both a blessing and a curse. With taxpayer money and sanction from the King, they were able to provide more aid and do more good for the people of Nottingham than Robin had ever been able to as a humble bandit. But there were always those who sought to prey on the weak, and it was Robin's job as sheriff to deal with them, usually in more direct methods than he had done as an outlaw.

It had been three years since he had been given the position, and Regina nearly always worried when he went out. But it was nights like these, when he was late, that were the worst. Things always seemed to turn out, though. True, there had been some close calls and Robin had a few more scars than he'd worn when they'd first met, but luck so far had been on their side. The city was the safest it had ever been under Robin's care, and there had been no serious accidents. But every night like this always caused Regina to worry that maybe this would be the one time when their luck ran out.

She didn't know how long she stared out into the darkness, looking for any sign of Robin's group of men. She must have dozed off at one point because she awoke with her check pressed to the glass. Outside, she could see a group of torches, but they weren't headed toward the cabin. They were headed toward the healer's hut.

Regina grabbed her shawl and hurried out into the night. The camp at Sherwood Forrest may have been a thing of the past, but Regina and Robin had opened up their home as a refuge for the poor and helpless or other people who needed more aid than the city could provide. Sometimes, people were sick or wounded and a physician could not be obtained. Regina had learned the various herbs of the forest and how to use them to heal. While Robin hunted down the bad guys, Regina treated their victims.

She wasn't thinking of much as she approached the hut. She had treated many of Robin's men in the past - John, David, Much, Alan, even Tuck once - she ran their faces through her head. They'd held various injuries, and not all from battles with outlaws. Tuck, in his carelessness, had trod on a bee's nest and he'd been brought to Regina to reduce the swelling and remove the stingers. Most of her experience had been with moderate to minor wounds, and hardly ever had she needed to do more for Robin than stitch him up.

That's why when she opened the door to the hut, she was completely taken aback to see her husband lying on the table, unconscious and his clothes bloodied.

"All, right lads!" ordered John. "Clear out!"

The hut was small with room for a table on which to rest a patient, shelves on either side of the single room for storing herbs and other materials, and enough space for one person to walk in front and along the sides of the table. Regina preferred it that way. It gave the perfect excuse to eject worried family members or friends from the hut. It gave her space to work and the ability to do so in peace.

But tonight she was grateful that John stayed with her.

"What happened?" she insisted, as she pushed her way past the fleeing bodies and into the hut, closing the door behind her.

"We were attacked," he told her as they began removing the necessary pieces of Robin's clothing to better assess the damage. "Outside the city. They went straight for Robin. We tried to offer resistance, but it was like they weren't interested in the rest of us."

Robin's wounds were extensive, covering multiple areas of his body. She'd never treated so much at once. But she had seen many people in this hut over the years. By now, it was easy for her to push the concern from her mind and get to work.

"Water," she said, going for the door.

Robin's men were used to the routine by now, and an outstretched hand had a bucket of water ready for her as soon as she opened the door.

"Was anyone else hurt?" she asked. It was an automatic question. She was used to treating or at least examining multiple people when Robin's men were involved.

"They'll tend to themselves," said John as Regina dipped some rags into the water and began washing's Robin's wounds. His words went without saying. Everyone understood who was top priority right now. Robin's injuries were far worse than anyone else's could possibly be right now.

Robin never made a sound as Regina washed away the blood obscuring the truth of his injuries. Though he seemed to be drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness, murmuring incoherently as he rocked his head from side to side.

At first, his injuries didn't seem that severe, however numerous. John helped her as they mixed an herbal paste and applied it to Robin's wounds before adding bandages. All seemed to be going well until Robin suddenly coughed up blood.

Regina and John shared a look. Then Regina immediately back to applying bandages, trying to distract herself form the panic rising in her chest.

"Did someone send for a physician?" she asked, her voice far more calm than she was feeling.

John nodded, but when he spoke, there was little confidence in his voice. "It's like they knew the exact place to attack," he said, looking at Robin. "So taking him back to the city wouldn't be an option."

Regina continued applying bandages, but John seemed frozen in place, unable to do anything as he stared down at his best friend. Coughing up blood was never a good sign, but Regina didn't understand the inner workings of the body. If something was wrong internally that she couldn't see, she couldn't cut into Robin to fix him up like a physician could. But they were a ways from the city. They had built their home like that purposefully, to provide some peace from Nottingham's hectic life. Now, it seemed, their choice would cost them.

Regina tried not to let the fear overcome her. She turned to look at Robin's face. He had stopped muttering and rolling his head, but he was breathing shallowly. She touched his face, and his skin was cold. Upon further examination, she realized he was drenched in cold sweat.

"Blanket," she said to John, who didn't move. "John! Blanket!" she tried again more forcefully.

He jumped and grabbed the heavy wool blanket from behind him and together they draped it over Robin's body. Regina continued with the herbal paste and bandages. The night was cool, but Robin felt much too cold for the temperature outside.

Fears and worries came over her, but she pushed them down. She had to remain calm. Worrying wouldn't do any good. She had to keep going with what she knew best and hope her fears were unjustified.

John, at last, busied himself with the bandages, bringing the scene back to some sense of normality. But Robin coughed up more blood, and Regina had to take a step back and close her eyes to force her emotions down. Her chest burned with anxiety, and she was reminded of her time as Rumple's apprentice, when she had forced down all her emotions and turned them into anger as a fuel for her magic.

She was struck with an idea. She had never used magic to heal before, but it was worth a try. Tentatively, she stretched her hands over Robin's body and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate.

"What are you doing?" asked John.

"Shush." She focused on her fears - all of them - at the thought that Robin was dying and she was powerless to stop it, at the thought of losing him after so short a time, and the thought that even though outside forces were working to bring aid, it might be too late. She took her fear and her despair and forced it down, willing herself to remain calm. But her chest and stomach burned. There was power there and she could use it.

She imagined her fear rising up through her arms and out her fingertips, filtering through her forced shield of calm into warm healing light. And the more she focused, she warmer her hands felt. She knew it was working because John gasped, and soon after she could sense light trying to filter through her eyelids.

She opened her eyes and saw her hands were glowing purple and a thin layer of the same color light was spreading over Robin. What wounds hadn't been bandaged were slowly pulling themselves back together. But it wasn't nearly fast enough. She needed to go deeper.

She closed her eyes and returned to her emotions, calling them forward. She thought of the day she and Robin had met, that first ray of hope, their multiple struggles of distrust and doubt until they were finally able to be together. She thought of their wedding day, their honeymoon, all the plans they had made and fulfilled and others they would never complete if Robin couldn't be with her. The fact that they had never had children.

She thought of it all until she felt tears threatening to well up. She forced it all down into her stomach and then pushed it out through her fingers, willing the energy into Robin with a pulsing blast. She heard his body convulse against the table.

"Regina!" John yelled, alarmed.

But Regina wouldn't stop. She had to be sure. She had to go deep enough to fix whatever was damaged. Her arms were shaking from the power coursing through them. She dug into her emotions, forcing the magic into Robin, until she thought she might scream from the weight of it all. But instead of screaming, everything went dark.

* * *

When Regina awoke, her head felt groggy, like she had slept far longer than she should have and her mind wasn't sure what to do with it all. Robin was sitting next to her on top of their bed, and he had the most relieved look on his face.

"You're all right," he breathed, and he quickly pulled her into an embrace.

She would have been more happy to see him alive and well had she not been so confused. "What happened?"

Robin slowly pulled back from her. "John said you used magic."

It took a moment for Regina to remember, but the events of the night came to her. "How long was I asleep."

"A whole day and then some," said Robin. Regina noticed that despite her efforts, he still wore bandages - one across his shoulder, another around his upper arm. Though those were the only ones she could see, she suspected he had more. "I awoke in the morning, after you treated me. You slept the whole day, and now it's around noon." He paused for moment. "I wasn't sure you'd wake."

"I didn't mean to scare you," she said, his look of concern reflected on her own face as she reached up to cup his check. The fact that she'd nearly lost him was sinking in.

"What did you mean to do?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, pulling her hand away as she tried to remember her exact focus with the magic. "I just wanted to heal you. I didn't want you die." She took his face into her hands again, absentmindedly stroking the stubble on his cheek. "I guess my emotions were chaotic and so was the magic."

"Not that I'm ungrateful," he said, putting an arm around her. "But are you planning on trying it again?"

"I don't think so," she said. It wasn't an experience or situation she wished to repeat.

"Good," he told her. And then he put his mouth to hers and pulled her close.

She gripped the collar of his shirt and gave herself to the kiss and the feel of his arms. And they were like that for a minute or two, basking in fact that they still had each other when they'd thought all might be lost. And when they parted, Robin leaned back against the pillows and Regina rested her head on his chest. If she caused him any discomfort, he didn't indicate it.

"Do you think we'll hear from him?" Robin asked after a few moments as he stroked her hair.

"Him?" asked Regina.

"Your mentor."

"Oh." They never spoke of him by name. Name had power, especially where Rumpelstiltskin was concerned. "I don't think so."

"You used magic," Robin told her. "And he wanted you as an apprentice."

Regina lifted herself to face him. "Even if he came back, do you think I'd go with him?"

"No," he said honestly. "I'm just wondering if I should expect him to show up at the door." He looked from their room into their dining area when the front door was located like he was trying to decide if he should place an ax next to it.

"I'd think after all this time, he'd have given up on me," she said, returning to rest her head on him.

"A man such as he?" said Robin, returning to stroking her hair. "I doubt it. I imagine a man such as he has a plan."

She knew he was right, but she didn't want to talk about Rumpelstiltskin. Life was so much easier when she pushed him from her mind and pretended he was no longer a factor in her life. She settled into the blanket, getting comfortable, her thoughts venturing to other things.

"What happened that night, Robin?" she asked.

He didn't answer right away. "We cleared the streets of Nottingham years ago," he said. "And made a lot of enemies in the process. Time has passed, and they're gathering force to strike back. I'm the main target."

Regina gripped the blanket beneath her, trying not to focus on the thought that it might not be the last time she'd see Robin on the healing table.


	2. Oportunities

Regina lounged in a reclined wooden chair on the palace grounds while Robin and Snow stood several paces away engaging in target practice. Regina had never been one for the bow and arrow. Somehow, the weapon just never felt right in her hands.

Robin had assured her many times of the bow's excellence as a weapon, and while she was inclined to believe him - it had severed him well for many years - she much preferred the rapier as a weapon of choice. Yes, it required fighting in close quarters, but she was good with it, and the flow of the blade felt almost natural to her. If she needed a weapon for ranged attacks, she knew how to use a crossbow.

Robin cheered as Snow fired a second arrow into the dead center of the target, right next to the arrow before it. "What have I told you?" he shouted back at Regina. "The girl's a natural!"

"Well done, Snow!" Regina shouted at the girl, who turned back to her and smiled.

Three years had passed in weekly visits to the castle where Regina was expected to fulfill her role as pseudo mother to Snow White. She had dreaded these visits at first, even hated them. But over time and with Robin's gentle encouragement, her association with Snow to the painful events of her past had weakened.

She knew she couldn't hate Snow, however easy doing so might seem. She knew the painful events of her past were not Snow's fault, despite whatever involvement the girl might have hand. And she also knew that there were moments when she had loved that child she'd saved from the runaway horse. So when she thought of Snow, she tried to think on those happier instances, and not on any of the others. She _wanted_ to love this young princess, even if sometimes it was difficult.

Eventually Snow completed her training for the evening, and she and Regina took a walk around the grounds, their arms linked. Snow asked for news from the city, and Regina had very little to give. She didn't tell Snow about Robin's previous brush with death, and she didn't tell her about her own use of magic. She wasn't looking to excite Snow or cause her to worry. So she only said that criminal activity was increasing and that Robin suspected that previously ejected bandit clans were regathering their strength.

"Do you miss the castle?" asked Snow.

"Sometimes," said Regina honestly. Though her life at the castle held few fond memories for her, there were times when she missed the splendor and security of it all. Robin would certainly be safer here.

"I wonder if I'd miss it if I left," said Snow.

"You're unhappy here?" asked Regina, surprised.

"Oh, no!" said Snow, breaking stride. "I only meant … well … it's just you and Robin's lives are so exciting."

Regina might have laughed had the events of the past few days not been so serious. "Snow," she said. "Excitement comes with its own drawbacks."

"I know," said Snow, taking up the walk again. "It's just sometimes … I feel kind of … stuck here. I want to get out and see other things, meet other people. But I guess that's not really the life of a princess."

"You're young," said Regina. And indeed, Snow was only a young teenager. "And restlessness comes with such an age. Besides, I heard your father was planning on taking you across the country with him."

"I have a year or two before that happens," said Snow. "And it's only to establish continued relationships between kingdoms and show me off to potential matches for marriage."

"Well, at least you'll get to see the country," said Regina, trying to be encouraging, although she too knew what it was to feel like a prisoner within the castle walls. Though she was certain her situation had been much different than Snow's.

"I just wish I could visit you and Robin sometimes," she said. "I bet you two get into all sorts of adventures."

"Adventures sound romantic," Regina told her. "But I hear the fatality rate is high."

* * *

As soon they arrived back home, Regina did a survey of the healing hut and took note of all the resources she needed to stalk up on. Some items, like bandages, she would need Robin to gather when they were back in town. But for many items, like herbs, she went out into the woods to gather.

It took her some time, hunting down the things she needed, but she didn't mind the work. It was solitary and peaceful, and she found it was just what she needed after the hectic pace of the past few days. She always found the exercise rejuvenated her, and she was quite glad of it.

She had even found some wild flowers while she was out, and after restocking the hut, she returned to the cabin to place the flowers in a pot by the front the door. It was then that she heard yelling coming from inside, and she paused to listen for a moment.

It wasn't John - who sometimes had loud disagreements with his best friend - nor did she recognize the second voice as belonging to any of Robin's men. Though, the first voice definitely belonged to her husband. She supposed to the second had to be from a citizen of the city. Though she and Robin had decided to build their home away from Nottingham to avoid such inconveniences, there were some people who ventured outside the city limits to bother Robin during hours when he wasn't at his office.

Regina had just decided it was best to leave the matter to her husband when the door burst open and a dark haired man with wild eyes stepped through it. His gaze fell upon her.

"Sea witch!" He shouted and threw himself at her.

Regina was too surprised to respond, and the man's hands seized her robes. She didn't know what his intentions were, but the next moment she heard Robin's voice: "_That_ is my wife!"

The man was pulled off her, and Robin shoved him against the wall of the cabin. "You will calm yourself or I will have to resort to force! Do you understand me?"

The man struggled, but Robin was stronger than he looked. It seemed as though it took him hardly no effort at all to keep the man held.

"Do you understand me?" Robin repeated. And when the man gave no response and continued to struggle, Robin pressed an arm against the man's windpipe. For a moment, the man struggled harder, but eventually his efforts slackened.

"Sea witch!" he gasped when Robin removed his arm from the man's throat.

Robin pulled the man from the wall and pushed him down on his knees in front of Regina. "Look again," he said. "And tell me if you are so accurate in your accusations."

The man looked up at Regain, at first with anger and rage, but after a moment then his eyes widened and he recoiled, at which point Robin released him.

"Well?" her husband demanded.

"I-I'm, I'm sorry," the man stuttered, suddenly too embarrassed to look at Regina.

Robin took a step toward the huddled lump of a man. "As far as I'm concerned, you are just as dangerous as this sea witch you claim to have encountered. And I am fully inclined to lock you up for the night unless you can promise me you will head straight home and accuse no more women of this transgression."

The man nodded, refusing to look at Robin as well. "P-promise." He said.

"Go on, then," said Robin, taking a step back. "We'll find your brother. Until then, I hope to hear no more from you."

"Yes, sire," said the man as he cowered. But he did manage to turn to Regina. "Sorry, my lady," he said. And then he ran as fast as his feet could carry him.

Robin turned to his wife. "Are you alright?" he said.

"Yes," she told him, though she was a little shaken.

He took her into his arms and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said.

"I took the job," he told her.

"To help people," she reminded him.

"I didn't intend for it to torment my wife."

"That's the price of it, I suppose," she said, meaning only half of it light-heartedly. "What did that man want?" she asked as she released him.

"Apparently there's some sea witch that lives along the shore," he told her. "The man said his brother went to her for help and she turned him a bear. As much as I don't like the idea, I'm going to have to investigate."

"I'm come with you."

"No," he said, firmly. "We've been through this-"

"We have," she admitted. "I'm not a law official. I can't help you arrest or fight criminals, but this is magic, and I know magic. And no matter how much bravery or skill your men have, magic is not something any of you have personal experience with. I can help," she added as Robin tried to protest. "I can keep all of you safe. I can warn you about any dangers. You'd be going in blind without me."

Robin sighed. "There's no use arguing with you, is there?"

"No," she said with a half smile. "I'll just win in the end."

He laughed and kissed her.

"No weapons," he said when they parted. "And I will strip you naked if you give me reason think you're hiding something," he added as she debated about whether or not she could get away with hiding a rapier or crossbow under her cloak.


	3. Sea Witch

Robin's men seemed a little tense at first as they made the journey to the shore. They started the trip with their weapons at the ready. And they kept turning this way and that, looking for any potential threat. But as their route carried them further from the city, they became more relaxed, their weapons hanging limply from their sides as they engaged in casual conversation.

Despite the mindset of the men, Regina found it hard to hide her enthusiasm at the journey. She had never been able to assist Robin with any of his sheriff work, and it certainly beat staying home and growing worried as the hours dragged on.

She didn't know what she had expected from this "sea witch" the crazed man had told Robin of, but she was rather surprised when they found a small hut along the beach. It looked only slightly larger than her healing hut, and it was decorated in shells, tangles, and other artifacts from the sea. It looked well-kept, however small and it seemed to have a child-like touch in the decorations.

Their approach wasn't silent, and a woman emerged from the hut as they drew near. Regina understood then why the man had attacked her the other day. She and this other woman looked very similar. They both possessed the same dark hair and eyes and the same fair skin, but the other woman's face was longer.

"May I help you?" she asked as she wrapped a shawl over her robes. She spoke with an authoritative tone that Regina recognized from herself when she had needed to feel stronger than those around her.

"I am known as Robin Hood," said Robin with his own tone of authority that came from years of protecting others. "And I am sheriff over these lands."

The woman gave a curtsy. "I am Ursula," she said.

"Would you also claim to be the sea witch we've heard of?"

"I've gone by that title," she admitted. Then she smiled, her eyes trailing along the weapons the men carried. "I believe you are not here for spells."

"A man came to me three days ago," Robin told her. "He said you gave his brother a potion that turned him into a bear."

"I did have a young man come to me a few nights ago," said the woman thoughtfully. "He asked for a spell that would give him the strength of ten men. I supplied him with what he asked, he paid me and left. What became of him afterward, I do not know."

Robin shifted in his saddle. "Would your potion have the effect the man described?"

Ursula fixed him with a look. "Have you dealt in magic, my lord, sheriff?"

"I make a point of avoiding it," he admitted.

"Then you know there are risks involved," she said. "All magic comes with a price, and the price is different for each user."

She paused and gave her shawl a twirl. "Did I supply that man with a potion? Yes. Did that potion turn him into a bear? Possibly. But the results were not of my making, they were his own. You might wish for the strength of ten men," she said, gesturing at Robin. "But you might turn into an ox or your arms may grow so large they fall of your body. I have no control over the consequences. I can only warn my customers. Whether they listen or not is their own matter."

She tapped her foot impatiently when Robin didn't respond. "Are you going to arrest me?"

"No," said Robin with certainty. "I came to arrest a town terror. That, you are not. It simply appears you were running a business transition."

She looked somewhat relieved. "Thank you, my lord."

"That does not mean I approve of the business," he added.

Ursula gave a sigh of obvious frustration. "What would you have me do?"

"Take up some other practice," he said simply.

"Mommy?"

All eyes were drawn to the soft voice belonging to a young, dark-haired boy who emerged from the hut. Ursula went to him and directed him back inside. "Mommy will be back in a moment, Eric. She's just talking with these nice people." Her voice was the gentlest Regina had yet heard it.

At last she turned back to face Robin and the group. "What other business would you have me take up?" she asked sternly. "Do you know of many people who would take in a mother and her child born out of wedlock? Direct me to someone and I shall go."

It was in that moment when Regina could see etched in Ursula's face, underneath the hard demeanor, the same pain she herself had suffered - the belief that she was on her own against the rest of the world and her anger was the only weapon she had against it. Regina knew how all too easy a lie it was to believe.

"We will take you in," said Regina before Robin could speak. She felt her husband's eyes turn to her, but he said nothing. And she kept her eyes on Ursula who looked taken aback for the first time. "We have food and shelter. There are other people with nowhere else to turn. You would be welcomed in our community."

Ursula stared. "Why would you make such an offer?"

"Because I know what it's like," said Regina, "to believe you have no other option." When Ursula continued to stare, Regina concentrated a ball of fire into her hand. It took more time and effort than she ever remembered it taking, but her hand finally lit.

"I see," said Ursula simply.

Regina extinguished the flame.

Ursula turned back to look at the door to the hut and then returned her gaze to Robin. "Eric has a sickness," she said. "He needs to be near running water."

Robin gave a nod. "There is a stream near our estate."

Ursula nodded thoughtfully. At last she said, "Then we will come with you."

"I wouldn't have made the offer so soon," said Robin quietly to Regina while Ursula went inside the hut to gather Eric and what few belongings they had.

"I know," she said. "I'm sorry. She just reminded me of myself."

"How so?" he asked.

Regina sighed. "She's only resorting to magic because she believes it's all she has. No one has shown her she has any other options - like you showed me."

He smiled faintly. "You were a tough case."

She smiled back. "It worked out for the best."

Robin eyed her carefully. "That spell you performed …"

"Was difficult," she nodded. "I'm out of practice." But that wasn't true. Magic had never been so difficult to her before, not even when she had first began learning.

"You haven't used magic in three years," Robin told her. "And adding another caster -"

"You think I'll revert to my old ways?"

"No," he said. And it took him a moment to elaborate. "I'm just worried about you."

She understood. Her and magic didn't seem to be mixing very well recently … not that it had exactly mixed well in the past either. "I'll be careful," she told him. And then she added, "I'm worried about you, too."

He smiled faintly. "I guess we have enough worry for the both of us."

It was then that Ursula emerged from the hut with her son and a bag over her shoulder. John moved his horse forward to add the load to the mount.

"She trusts you," Robin said before he turned to gather his men. "Keep an eye on her."

It was apparent to her that Robin was unsure of their new guest, but as Regina saw the surprise on Ursula's face as John dismounted and offered his horse to the woman and her child, Regina couldn't help but feel that this woman was a kindred spirit - someone who had suffered as she had. She seemed dark and cruel because it was the only way she knew how to interact with the world. No one had ever been there to take of her, to show her she didn't need to fight all of the time.

Regina decided she was just going to have to be that person, like Robin and Tink had been to her.

* * *

**Disclaimer - the characters of Ursula and Eric are of my own making and are not meant to relate to the characters as established in the show. **


	4. Eric

Ursula and her son, Eric, settled in more quickly than Regina could have hoped. The routine of the community seemed to come easy to them, which operated in much the same way as Sherwood Forest had, just on a smaller scale.

The day after their arrival, Regina made sure to check in on them. Ursula was standing at the door to the small house that had been provided, looking off into the woods.

"How are you settling in?" Regina asked as she approached.

"Well," said Ursula with a thin smile. "I just sent Eric to fetch some water. He usually has a time of it and turns up soaking. Helps with his sickness."

"He's a sweet boy," said Regina, who had spent most of the journey home admiring the small child.

Ursula nodded, looking back toward the trees.

"Is there anything I can do?" Regina offered. "I have experience with healing."

Ursula shook her head. "Ever hear of land sickness?"

Regina shook her head. It did sound unusual.

Ursula sighed. "That's what I call it," she said. "There's just something about being on land that ails him. The closer he is to flowing water, the better he is. But take him away from it and he grows weak and sickly."

"Any ideas what might cause it?" she asked.

"He's been this way since he was born. I birthed him in the water." Ursula paused. "I suppose it has to do with his father."

"His father?" Regina pressed when Ursula grew silent and didn't elaborate.

Ursula looked around, as though checking to see if they were being watched, then she motioned for Regina to follow her inside. Regina did so, and Ursula closed the door behind them.

"I've never told anyone this," Ursula said, keeping her voice hushed. "But Eric's father was a merman."

Regina was taken aback. "How does … that work?" she eventually managed.

Ursula peaked through the door to check for Eric again before answering. "Once a year," she said. "At the highest tide, a mermaid on the shore is granted legs. Caspian and I met, and we … well, I was quite taken with him." She smiled softly at the memories. "He promised we'd keep in touch, but I never heard from him after that night."

"What do you think happened?" Regina asked, very interested in this merman as she saw how Ursula's face lit up while thinking of him.

Her face hardened at the question. "I imagine I didn't mean as much to him as I thought," she said and poked her head back out the door to check for her son.

"But you don't really believe that," said Regina.

Ursula looked at her, and Regina recognized the wall she had constructed. She herself had used it plenty of times while trying to avoid confronting her true feelings.

"It's what's easier to believe," Ursula admitted.

Regina was about to speak. What she would have said, she wasn't sure - perhaps some words of comfort or encouragement. But at that moment, Ursula stepped outside and Regina joined her to watch as little four and half year old Eric struggled to carry the water bucket home. Ursula had been right; he was completely soaked in water. He could barely hold the bucket off the ground and his feet kicked the base as he walked so the bucket rocked and the water sloshed over the edge.

Regina chuckled.

Ursula turned to her. "Can Robin really find me a position?"

Regina nodded. "He's well connected in the city. He'll find someone who will take you as an apprentice."

Ursula shook her head. "Even one who won't turn me away as soon as they find out I have a child and there was never a husband?"

"Have faith," Regina said.

But Ursula looked little convinced. "Faith is a luxury I haven't had for a long time."

* * *

Regina headed back to the cabin. But when she got there, the crazed man from a few days ago was waiting for her.

"Where is she?" he demanded, stepping toward Regina.

"Sir -" she said, trying to think quickly of some way to defuse the situation.

"I know she's here," he told her. "The Sea Witch is gone from her shore, and reports say you brought someone back with you."

"If you take this up with my husband -"

"He won't help me!" The man yelled. "No one will help me! I came to you to save my brother! Not protect the witch! What business has she in your sanctuary?" He strode past Regina. "I will deal with this myself."

"Sir, stop!" Regina insisted, but the man didn't listen. She was sure whatever his intensions where, if he confronted Ursula, things would not end well.

"Sir," Regina ran forward and grabbed his arm. "If you'll just listen -"

The man pushed her back with such force she was thrown to grown. Regina picked herself up, anger and frustration coursing through her. She understood this man's plight, and she wanted to help him. But his refusal to handle the situation civilly, his forceful treatment of her, and his threatening of the people under her protection was enough to send her over the edge.

"I said, stop!" she yelled, throwing out her hands.

The man froze in place.

Regina was so shocked, she almost fell to the ground all over again. She hadn't meant to magic him still. But the spell had flown through her fingers before she had realized she was casting in.

Regina walked around to look at the man's face. It was full of anger and determination. But she knew his expression would change the moment she undid the spell.

She was reminded of her first day of training with the spell, of how Rumpelstiltskin had showed her how to take the heart, to control the subject.

She shook her head the moment the thought entered her mind. Those days were behind her, and she was not going back.

She removed the spell with a wave of her hand. The man unfroze and gave her a look of absolute terror before running away.


	5. Spell Book

"I've already had this conversation with your husband," said Ursula minutes later. "I don't know how to reverse the spell. It wasn't part of the business."

"That man is going to keep coming back." Regina told her. "He's not going to go away."

"I don't know what to tell you," she said. But then she sighed. "One moment." She went inside the house and came back with a leather bound book, which she handed to Regina. "Maybe you can find something."

Regina flipped through the pages. The book was filled with spells, mainly consisting of potions. "Why would you trust me with this?" she asked. A spell book was no light item to pass around.

"Ever since I was pregnant with Eric," she said. "Magic users have been the only people I could trust. They took me in and taught me how to survive. I owe them a lot. And I know you are trying to help."

Regina smiled and placed a hand on Ursula's shoulder in silent affirmation. Then she took the book back to the cabin where she sat it on the kitchen table and pored over it.

She was struck by how variable the spells were. The specific potion for strength required some physical aspect of the intended drinker, but it could be anything from a lock of hair to a fingernail to a drop of blood. The ingredient to imbue strength could be hardwood tree bark, the horn of an ox, a bear claw, or any other item thought to have strength properties as determined appropriate by the caster. There were no specific brewing instructions.

Regina had never realized magic could be done in such a variable manner. Rumpelstiltskin had taught her that magic was precise, that even the tiniest detail was important. He would consider the spells listed in this book as sloppy and unprofessional. He would have thrown the whole lot away.

And then, without hearing a sound, she knew her old mentor was standing behind her.

"You've been using magic," he sang.

She'd thought hearing his voice again after all these years would terrify her, but she found she was more annoyed. It was heartening to realize Rumpelstiltskin wasn't some great evil that had come to devour her. He was just an unwelcome guest. Calmly, she turned around to face him.

"Thinking about coming back?" he smiled.

"No," she said simply.

His smile didn't fade. "Oh, I think you are," he said. "You know how much easier life would be with magic. You've realized your knight in shining armor hasn't rescued you from life's problems. Becoming the princess of thieves brought its own troubles."

It was hard to not give in to his words. Life with Robin had been blissful at first. But hardships had set in. Robin's position as Sherriff had a cost - the long hours, the vengeful bandits - and she often worried about the cost of his own life. Sometimes she felt it wasn't a question of if, but when. If she had magic at its fullest power, she could protect him.

Even without being at the height of power, how much more useful could her healing become if she could learn how to augment it with magic? And that wasn't even considering how she could use magic to protect their home or help the people.

Yes, she had wants and magic might be able to get them for her. And that was tempting. She couldn't deny the thoughts had crossed her mind from time to time - recently most especially. But she knew the cost of that path, and she was always able to remind herself that she didn't want it.

"I think you should leave," she told Rumpelstiltskin, rediscovering her resolve.

Despite everything, his smile never wavered. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes."

He raised a finger and slowly waved it back and forth in the air. "But you do have a question for me."

Regina sighed. There was no point denying things with Rumpelstiltskin. He already knew the truth, and drawing things out just postponed the inevitable. "Why has casting magic been so draining?" she asked.

He gave an impish laugh. "I told you the darkness liked you," he said. "It gave you power. When you turned your back against it, you lost that power."

Regina doubted it was that simple, and her thoughts must have shown on her face because Rumple went on.

"Why do you think fairies use dust and wands? All magic comes with a price. Dust runs out, wands can break or be stolen. The darkness corrupts. Using none of these means the magic costs you in other ways."

It made sense. Regina had used her anger to power her magic. She remembered that. But after starting her life with Robin, she had promised herself she would never let her anger have that kind of hold over her ever again. The cost was too great - she and her relationships suffered.

But without that anger - or darkness, as Rumple called it - what did her magic have to draw power from? She'd been desperate when she'd healed Robin, and it had knocked her out for two nights. She'd wanted to gain Ursula's trust, and her fire ball had tired her. And the crazed man -

"You gave him quite a fright, I think," said Rumple, breaking into her thoughts. He was grinning, his hands pressed together as he swayed side to side as though dancing.

"No," Regina said, realizing how she hadn't been drained when she'd cast the spell on him. Everything had come easily. She'd been so angry with him for invading her home, for threatening Ursula, for casting her aside … and that anger had powered her.

Regina cast her sight on Rumpelstiltskin. He was a terror in her home. "I want you to leave," she told him firmly. "Now."

He laughed. "My leaving won't protect you from the darkness, dearie."

"I don't care," she said. "Leave. Now."

But his eyes had fallen on the object sitting on the table behind her. He leaned to one side to see it better. Before Regina could spin around to grab the spell book, Rumple snapped his fingers and the book appeared in his hand.

"It isn't mine," Regina said, still trying to convince him that she wasn't interested in learning from him.

He stroked the spine. "Perhaps I'll take a look anyway," he said, and vanished in puff of smoke.

Regina didn't know whether to sigh with relief at the fact that he was gone, or run from the house straight to Robin to let him know their home and their life wasn't nearly as secure as they had thought. In compromise, she simply let herself fall back to lean against the table.


	6. Risks

Regina warned Ursula that Rumpelstiltskin had taken her spell book. "He might make you an offer," she explained. "And whatever it is, it isn't worth it."

Ursula seemed too stunned at first to say anything. "You … you were apprenticed to the Dark One?" she asked at last.

"Yes," said Regina simply.

"The most powerful dark magic user in the world?"

Regina nodded. She hadn't thought about it before, but she supposed being apprenticed to Rumpelstiltskin did give her some kind of prestige.

"But …" said Ursula slowly, looking her over as though she was seeing Regina for the first time. "You had so much power. You could have done anything."

"That kind of power," Regina told her seriously. "Isn't as great as it sounds."

* * *

Regina left the cabin to find Tuck, and together they went to find the man with the unfortunate brother. Despite Regina's personal feelings toward the man, the situation needed to be handled. And she _did _understand the man's frustration, even if she didn't approve of how he was handling it.

And she didn't want to give into the darkness. She wanted to help, she had to.

It surprisingly wasn't hard to find a man whose name she didn't know. It turned out he had told anyone who would listen about how his brother had been turned into a bear and the famed Robin Hood wouldn't help. She also discovered his name was Fergus. Regina simply followed the instructions of the traveling merchants she passed on the road until she found Fergus' home.

She was humbled at the sight of him at his house with his family. He had a wife and three fair haired children. Their modest home seemed even smaller by the fact his brother's family was living with him as well - a wife and two more children. They were only simple farming families, and with the man of the house unable to work, it severely hurt their livelihood.

She let Tuck go forward first to make introductions - one of the main reasons she had asked him to come along. She wasn't sure how well Fergus would receive her, but she was confident he would be gentle with a man in religious garb like the friar.

Eventually, Regina was allowed into the home, and she explained her plan to help. The brother's family brought forth a fragment of clothing belonging to him, and Regina enchanted it to return to its owner. Then Tuck, Fergus, and Regina followed it.

The effects of the magic made it tiring to keep up. Even though they were traveling over relatively level ground, Regina was soon breathing as though she were climbing up hill. Tuck inquired if she was alright, and she brushed him off. But that was the second reason she'd brought him along - just in case the magic knocked her out again. She didn't want to be left unconscious in Fergus' hands.

At last, after hours of traveling, they found a bear rooting around in some bushes, presumably looking for berries. Regina was glad to not have to face some kind of confrontation - her energy felt sapped as it was. She raised her hands and froze the bear in place.

The effort caused her to collapse on the ground. Tuck went to her side to help her up.

"I'm fine," she told him. But she knew Tuck was no simpleton. He knew she wasn't being honest with him, but he was too gentle a spirit to insist. That was another reason she'd wanted his help. He wouldn't tell her to back down or to wait for help or try to find another way. This, she knew, was the only way.

Rumpelstiltskin certainly wasn't going to help. Tinkerbell was strictly regulated to her use of dust. Ursula didn't have the skill.

She was the only person who could do this.

She raised her hands again, and thought of Robin, of how hard things would be if she suddenly no longer had him in her life. She thought of the family back in Fergus' home who were waiting for their father and husband to return. She thought of that hope and that sadness, and she let it fill her. It wasn't as powerful as anger, it couldn't pay the price of the spell, but it was enough to cast it.

Regina focused and imagined the bear returning to a man until she felt power flowing from her finger tips. She never opened her eyes to see if the spell was working, wanting to put all her energy into concentrating. She continued to focus until her mind went blank and all thought was lost.

* * *

When Regina awoke, her head was pounding, like she'd stayed up all night drinking John's mead. Robin was there, sitting next to her on the bed. His face was a mixture of relief and frustration. She knew he couldn't be very happy with her.

"How long?" she asked.

"Four nights," he said. "I had to send a message to the King that you were ill and would be unable to visit Snow." He sighed. "Regina, what were you thinking?"

"I had to help," she told him. "I didn't see any other way. Is the brother -?"

"He's fine," said Robin. "Your spell worked. The men carried you back, and Tuck sent for me." He gave a sigh. "While I might agree your spell was the best course of action, Regina, you can't keep doing this. What if it kills you?"

Regina felt herself bristle. "How is that any different than your line of work?"

He looked taken aback. "I don't-"

"You put your life on the line everyday," she told him. "Sure, maybe some days the worst you have to deal with is the town drunk. But lately, things have been getting worse. And I can't tell you how many times I have stood at the window wondering if you'll come home."

She had never told him of her worry before. She hadn't wanted him to feel guilty. But it came out now because she was frustrated. If Robin could risk his life helping the people, why couldn't she? How was it fair for her stay home waiting? Why couldn't he wait for a change and see how it felt?

His look of surprise never left his face. "I didn't realize ... are you unhappy?"

The question startled her, breaking her frustration. She hadn't considered it before, but now that he had asked she realized that maybe she wasn't happy with their current lot in life.

"Robin," she said slowly, feeling the sadness creep in. "You help people. That's always going to be a part of what you do, and I want to be involved in that. And I realize that with that task comes a level of risk. But we're a family now, and I think we need to devote some time and focus to that." She took a breath and amended. "I want to spend some focus on that."

He studied her face for a moment and then nodded slowly. "I'll speak with the King," he said. "Maybe he can assign me a less prestigious position."

She had doubts about that. "Would any position not be prestigious with the name Robin Hood?"

He sighed and moved closer to her, putting an arm around her. "What life would you want if you could choose it?"

She took her time answering. She really wasn't sure. She pictured her and Robin in a cabin in the woods and a little boy running around the yard. Maybe they had a few horses in a stable.

"I just want a life," she said at last. "Where we can raise a family and not have to worry about each other."

He closed his arms around her further. "I will speak with the King," he repeated. "Can you promise me, should you plan anymore strenuous magic, that you will tell me?"

"Would you let me?" she asked him.

"I wouldn't be happy about it," he admitted. "But as you said, we both work to help others, and there's a risk to that. I'd still like to know if you have anything planned. Some forewarning would be nice."

She had to agree with that. She would like to know beforehand if any harm could come to him, too. I would certainly beat waiting and wondering. "I promise," she said. Then she reached up and kissed him.

Robin didn't go back to the office that evening. Instead, they settled against the bed covers and made time for each other until sleep overcame them and night yielded to morning.


	7. True Love

"You seem preoccupied," said Snow gently.

Regina had decided to visit Snow in the middle of the week instead of waiting for the next weekend to roll around. She was eager for Robin to speak with the King, and with how crazy life had been lately, she liked the idea of visiting Snow now and skipping the upcoming weekend. She felt like she needed the breathing room.

She sighed deeply at Snow's question. But where before she had decided not to fill the girl in on her life's chaotic events, she made the opposite decision this time. Soon she was telling Snow everything, from the ordeal with Fergus to her troubles with magic to Rumpelstiltskin's visit to her concern over Robin.

Snow looked a little taken aback by the sudden flood of information. But eventually she smiled. "I'm never seen two people more in love than you and Robin," she said. "I can't imagine you two not working things out."

Regina felt some weight lift from her shoulders. Sometimes she needed to remind herself of the bond she and Robin shared. She too was confident they could make it through, but sometimes in all the strife it was easy for her to forget the fact of her certainty.

Snow gave a large sigh. "I shall never fall in love."

Regina was shocked she would say such a thing. "What do you mean?"

"It's just," Snow gave a shrug. "True love doesn't exist."

Regina nearly laughed. "What about Robin and I?"

"You two had pixie dust," said Snow simply. "That doesn't come a long very often." She and Regina continued their obligatory weekly walk. "You lost Daniel, and father lost my mother. True love can be found, but its rare and fleeting. I will marry some prince from a neighboring kingdom, and I will be happy. But I can't hope to find that kind of love. It just doesn't exist for me."

Regina thought that was a terribly sad outlook. "Everyone needs hope," she said.

* * *

Upon arriving home, Regina took a walk into the woods, calling for Tinkerbell when she found a secluded spot.

She couldn't get her conversation with Snow out of her head. I seemed like there wasn't much hope to go around lately. Snow held little of it for her love life, Ursula seem ever uncertain as her and Eric's prospects for the future, and Regina was becoming ever more uncertain about the welfare of her husband.

The King had denied Robin's request to step down as Sherriff. He had done his job too well, the King was unwilling to part from the best Sherriff he'd ever had. He did, however, assign Robin more men to help him better distribute the long hours and to provide more protection against the increasing attacks. But Robin didn't like they were men he didn't know and therefore couldn't completely trust.

Regina told herself Robin could inspire trust in anyone, but she knew not all the King's men were honorable. Adding more men to Robin's party could be as much of a hurt as a help. And what she really wanted - for Robin to be free of the position, for the two of them to be able to make a modest life together and free of any entanglements from their past - seemed near impossible to achieve.

She wanted some hope - needed it. It didn't even have to be her own. She just needed someone or something she could be hopeful for. And Tinkerbell was the only person she could think of who could help.

At the last, after several calls into the trees, the glowing ball of green light appeared and approached until Regina could make out the shape of the fairy. Smiling gleefully, Tinkerbell grew in size and embraced her friend. Regina had seen little of her since she and Robin had married. As a full-time fairy, Tink was busy and had to conform to certain regulations that prevented her from spending as much time with Regina as either of them would have liked.

"How are you, dear?" asked Tink as they ended their embrace.

Regina quickly explained about Ursula and her lost merman.

"And you want me to find him?" asked Tink, her tone uncertain.

"You weren't there when she talked about him," Regina explained. "The look on her face - there's still love there."

"Even so," said Tink. "He might not want to see her."

"I think something happened," said Regina. "Something that's preventing him from seeing her."

"But you don't know that," said Tink.

"No," Regina admitted. "I don't." But she felt it was true. It just didn't make sense otherwise. The look on Ursula's face was enough to convince her there was love there and that it was real.

"True love exists for everyone," Regina insisted. "You showed me that. I just want you to show it to someone else. And I think Ursula of all people could use the help."

Robin had not yet been successful in finding someone who would take Ursula and her son in, and Regina knew she wasn't satisfied with life in the sanctuary. The more time she spent around Ursula, the more she found her to be a very independent woman. She didn't like to have to depend on others for her livelihood. Her easy nature around Regina seemed to be the exception, and Regina knew it was only because of her magic.

Tinkerbell sighed. "If it's important to you, I'll speak with her,"

* * *

"Regina has a fairy godmother?" Ursula asked in surprise when Tinkerbell introduced herself and explained the situation.

"More like a fairy friend," Tink amended.

Even so, Ursula couldn't help but wonder what origins Regina had come from to accommodate her with such powerful friends. First she was married to famed Robin Hood, then apprenticed to the Dark One, and now the friend of a real live fairy. Ursula could barely wrap her mind around it.

And it was just as difficult for her to consider what Tinkerbell was offering. Find Caspian? Could it be done? And if so, did she even want to? Her heart told her yes, but her head told her no.

He had left her and never returned. She was certain - she had convinced herself - he had never really wanted anything more from her than the one night they had shared. And yet she knew she had told herself such things to make life easier - so she could be strong for Eric.

Her heart, despite her protests to it, continued to tell her Caspian had loved her and had wanted to be with her. Something must have happened. And if she never found the answer, she would always wonder.

And so, after some arguing with herself and finally deciding to leave Eric in Regina's care, Ursula agreed to Tinkerbell's offer.

"Do you have anything of his?" Tink asked. "Or anything he might have touched during that day when you met?"

Ursula didn't have to think hard. She presented Tinkerbell with a pale orange spiral shell about the size of her palm. Caspian had given it to her at the moment of their parting as a keepsake. She had never been able to bring herself to through it away, no matter how often she had tried.

Tinkerbell smiled. "That will make this a lot easier." Then she pulled some dust from a pouch at her side and sprinkled it on the shell, which began to glow.


	8. Caspian

Ursula followed the glowing shell floating in front of her, her head a mix of thoughts and emotions. Would this really lead her to Caspian? And if it did, what then? What would she say? And at the end of it all, would any of it matter? Would she return to Eric just as before, an outcast with a son without a father? Could she even dare to think that maybe things might turn out differently? Was this all just a waste of time?

The shell led them on until at last Ursula and Tinkerbell arrived at the hut where Ursula had lived before Robin and Regina had found her. The shell floated over the shore and out into the ocean.

"Now what?" asked Ursula, her frustration evident in her tone.

"Now, we wait," said Tinkerbell. "I expect the shell will drop into the ocean at some point. It will find Caspian, and then it will be up to him to come to shore."

"So we may have came all this way for nothing?" Ursula shrieked. The journey was stressful enough as it was with all her thoughts and feelings. To put herself through it all and have nothing come of it -

Tinkerbell seemed more understanding of Ursula's frustration than put off. "Have faith," she said.

The words were ones Regina had spoken to her, and Ursula had to remind herself that it was Regina who had come up with this idea. Regina was trying to help, and Ursula trusted her. That fact calmed her somewhat. No magic user had ever led her astray. Something would come out of this, one way or another.

Ursula settled against a tree along the shore and closed her eyes, trying to find some rest. The journey had been long and tiring, her thoughts and emotions aside. She needed some time to rejuvenate.

She had only meant to close her eyes for a few moments, but sleep came far easier than she had imagined it would. She slept for hours without dreaming and only awoke to a spray of sea water on her face.

She wiped the water from her eyes, and turned to the shore to find Caspian's torso in the water. He looked just as she remembered. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead, and Eric's brilliant blue eyes were set in his face. Eric had even inherited his small, square facial structure.

Ursula nearly fell over at the sight of him. She hadn't expected this to work. "C-Caspian?" she barely managed.

He smiled at her, a wide grinning smile she had never forgotten. It warmed her in spite of herself.

"Hello, Ursula," he said, and there was love in his voice, love that she had barely hoped could still exist.

She stared at him, unable to think of a single word to say. There was too much jumbled up in her heart and her head, too many thoughts, too many emotions. At last, she took a few steps forward toward the water.

Caspian raised a hand. "Don't come into the water!"

Ursula paused on the shore, confused.

Caspian sighed, the happiness on his face vanishing, replaced with a sadness she had never seen. He held up the shell Tinkerbell had enchanted. "I didn't know what to think when I saw this," he said. "I just needed to make sure you were all right."

He tossed the shell back to her, and she caught it. That simple action seemed to bring words back to her lips.

"You-you left," she managed. "You said you'd come back, but you never did."

Caspian nodded, the look of sorrow still on his face, and Ursula found her heart yearning for some way to relieve it.

"I wanted to," he told her earnestly. "I've spent a lot of time along this shore without you noticing. I wanted to reveal myself, but I couldn't." He took a shaking breath. "I was there when you birthed Eric. I heard your cries. I wanted to be there for you, but I cou-" He swallowed the tears threatening to overwhelm him.

"A merfolk's visit to land," he continued once he composed himself. "Is only meant to be a rite of passage. In better times we would establish working relationships with humans, and other such associations would be encouraged. When we met, I had thought - I had hoped - I could convince our King to let me return to you, but that didn't turn out to be the case."

"You-you have a king?" asked Ursula, whose thoughts were too jumbled to do anything but grasp onto this simple fact. The thought that Caspian had been with her all along was too much to consider.

Caspian nodded. "He forbade me from seeing you. When I professed my love for you, he swore if I made contact with you, he'd hurt you and Eric. I'm already risking too much by talking to you now."

"We needed you," said Ursula, who couldn't even begin to explain the trials she'd gone through since becoming pregnant. "Eric and I needed you."

He nodded, his face contorting with a sadness that told her he knew exactly how difficult her life had been. She wondered how often and in what situations he'd been close by and she simply hadn't seen. Had he seen Eric's first steps? Heard his first words? How many times had he heard her voicing her frustration to the wind while Eric slept soundly inside the hut?

"There's something you need to know about Eric's sickness," he told her. "He's half merman. He will always be drawn to the water. And one day, when he's becoming a man, he'll grow sicker than he's ever been. The sea shore will be the only relief for him. And at the lowest tide, he'll find he has a fin instead of legs." He paused, and Ursula didn't speak because she was listening intensely. "There was a time when half human children were treasured. But when Eric enters the ocean, the King will do all in his power to destroy him."

"Then I will make sure he never enters," said Ursula with conviction.

But Caspian shook his head. "If he doesn't enter the water on that day, the throes of his illness will certainly kill him."

"Then -" started Ursula.

"I will do everything I can to keep him safe," said Caspian. "As long as he's back on the shore at the next low tide, he will have legs again and his sickness will be gone."

"And if he's not back on shore?" she asked.

"Then he will remain a merman," said Caspian.

Ursula felt her stomach drop. She couldn't lose her son. Keeping him from the ocean meant he would die, and allowing him into it seemed also certain to end in the same result.

"I have to go," said Caspian. "I've been here far too long." He hesitated, and then added. "I love you, Ursula. I always have."

"Caspian, wait!" she shouted as he turned from her and dove into the water, his blue tail flashing above the surface. "Wait!" She ran to the shore, but heeded his warning and did not touch the water. "Caspian!"

She kept shouting, but he didn't come back. In that moment, she didn't know what was worse - not knowing why he had never returned to her, or knowing for certain that he had loved her everyday from the moment he'd seen her and had been forced to stay away. She hadn't lied when she'd said she needed him. How different would her and Eric's life had been if he could have had a father? How different would things have been even if Caspian could never come to shore but they could have seen him everyday?

Her heart heavy and broken with thoughts of what had been stolen from her and Eric, Ursula fell to shore and cried into the sand.

She didn't realize that Caspian hadn't gone very far at all and was only hovering under the water. Every one of her sobs struck his heart.


	9. Dark Thoughts

Regina had rather enjoyed her time watching over Eric, and it had given her quite a longing to have a child of her own. But her mood was disheartened when Ursula returned and told her about her conversation with Caspian. Ursula's thoughts were more on Eric than her lost love.

"What am I going to do?" she fretted. "I can't let Eric into the ocean with that Sea king after him."

Regina was a little surprised by the direction of Ursula's focus. "You have years until you need to worry about that."

"All I have is my son," Ursula explained. "I was disowned by my family. I don't have friends -"

Regina was taken aback, and it showed on her face.

"I'm sorry," said Ursula quickly. "You've been the closest thing I've ever had to a friend. But even though I've always been able to trust magic users, I've also always had to part ways with them. They took me in, taught me everything they knew, and then I became competition. I had to leave and move on."

"I'm not looking for us to part ways," Regina told her.

Ursula took a moment to respond. "I appreciate that," she said at last. "But my son is all I can think of right now."

Regina was more interested in Caspian, but she understood Ursula's concern. "What do you think can be done?" she asked.

"You're a healer," said Ursula. "Can you cure Eric's land sickness?"

"From what Caspian said," said Regina as she thought. "It sounds like Eric's sickness has more to do with his heritage than any disease. It would be like trying to cure you and I of having dark hair."

"But if we can relieve his symptoms," insisted Ursula. "Then maybe that night as he's drawn toward the shore it will be less strenuous, and he can survive."

"But if it's something that's physically drawing him toward the ocean," argued Regina. "It could just grow worse to the point where relieving his symptoms won't do any good."

"I have to try," Ursula insisted.

Regina wasn't sure what the best course of action was. "I think you've had a long day," she reasoned. "Why don't we both get some rest, and we can talk about this tomorrow?"

"But I -"

"Tomorrow," said Regina.

Ursula sighed. She was frustrated and scared for her son, but she could see Regina's logic. She could feel how flustered she was. Some rest would do her good.

"All right," she agreed at last.

But she didn't drop into bed as soon as she entered the house because there was someone in the house waiting for her.

"Hello, Ursula," came the impish voice of the Dark One. He held her spell book in his hand. "I believe this belongs to you," he said, holding it out.

Ursula wasn't sure what he wanted. And she was exhausted from her conversation with Caspian and the journey home, so the only thing she could think to do was reach for her spell book.

But Rumplestiltskin pulled it back from her. "Can I interest you in a little ... proposition?"

Ursula took a moment to answer. Regina had warned her about this man, and she had heard about the Dark One. Though she had always been able to trust magic users, she knew she was in dangerous territory this time.

But she doubted he would just go away if she turned him down. "What do you want?" she asked. Her mistrust came across in her tone more than she had intended.

Rumplestiltskin raised a long finger. "No need to be testy." He said. "I'm only offering to help you."

He took a few steps to the side as he examined the small surroundings. "I know you are unhappy here. You're not used to depending on others, are you?"

He turned to look at her, but Ursula said nothing. "I have a castle," he continued. "You and your son would be welcome to stay there ... until you've gained enough power to secure your own."

That offer would have been tempting a week or two ago, but not now. "All I care about is curing my son," she said.

"Of his land sickness?" chimed Rumple. Ursula didn't bother to ask how he knew. She knew the Dark One's powers were mysterious. "I'll have to agree with my former apprentice on the matter. Seems is might be near impossible to cure."

"But not for you?" said Ursula, who could guess where this conversation was going.

"Mmmm ... I wouldn't say that." He pointed a finger at her. "What if I gave you the power to kill the Sea King?" He turned his hand up in a questioning gesture. "Then Eric has nothing to worry about and your love is free to be with you." He wiggled his fingers. "Two birds, one stone. Much more effective, and less time consuming."

Ursula had never considered that possibility before. It certainly seemed easier. But even so ... "You want to train me? I have no power."

"On the contrary," he said, his voice trilling. He caressed the spine of the book. "The spells in here are messy and near impossible for them to yield any real results. But you," he pointed at her again. "You made them work. And that takes power. You have what you need to be great, and I can help you cultivate it."

To have all the power she needed to save her son and win back Caspian ... it sounded wonderful, and it did tempt her. But she knew the Dark One was famed for twisting truth and lies. Did she really have the kind of power he spoke of? She thought she had to be weak compared with Regina. She had turned the brother bear human when she, herself, hadn't been able to. And even if she did have power, Rumplestiltskin's offer seemed far more long term of a situation than any she had ever had.

"Why would you want an apprentice, anyway?" she asked him.

"Mmmm ..." He pressed his hands together and swayed side to side. "Let's just say, I take special interest in poor, unfortunate souls."

Ursula was still unsure about the whole situation.

"You don't have to decide right away," said Rumple, holding up his hands. "Just think it over." He slowly lowered the spell book to the kitchen table. "But know that when I'm through, you'll throw this book in the fire it will be so useless to you."

And then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, he vanished.


	10. Jellyfish

Regina was straightening the cabin the next day when a loud pounding came at the door. She rushed to it, fearful it might be some terrible news about Robin. But instead it was Ursula with Eric lying limp in her arms.

"Here," said Regina, ushering the woman inside. "Put him on the table."

Ursula laid him down. "I don't know what happened!" she said, her words tumbling out. "I sent him to get water, and he didn't come back, so I went to find him and -" She stopped, apparently unable to finish.

Eric was conscious, but barely. His eyes were open but he didn't seem to really be seeing anything. He mumbled a reply when Regina tried to talk to him, but she couldn't make out his words. His breathing was shallow.

"Has anything like this happened before?" Regina asked Ursula.

"No," she insisted. "Nothing like this! I don't understand what's happening!" She fretted next to her son, her voice nearing hysterical pitch.

"Go check by the stream," Regina told her in an attempt to give her something to do. "And the water bucket. See if you find anything unusual. Go," she insisted when Ursula hesitated.

Regina checked over Eric while Ursula was gone, looking for signs of trouble. There were red marks running down his forearm like a rash or a burn and Eric groaned when Regina gently pressed her fingers to it.

Though she looked everywhere, she could find no other signs on Eric's body. She had no idea what could be causing him such distress.

"Are you having trouble breathing?" she asked the boy, whose breath was still shallow.

He nodded slowly, and Regina fled from the cabin to the hut where she kept all the herbs to gather what she needed to make an ointment to put on Eric's chest.

It was here, as she was mixing the herbs that Ursula came to her, carrying Eric's bucket.

"I found this!" she said, tilting the bucket so Regina could see inside it.

There was something clear floating in the water. Regina couldn't make out what it was. It did not appear to have any defined shape and there were tentacles trailing from it.

"It's a jellyfish," Ursula explained as Regina studied the floating the object. "They're not native to these waters. They only appear in the ocean. Eric's only ever seen dead ones wash up on shore."

Regina looked up at her. "Are they deadly?"

"Some of them," said Ursula, her voice rising again. "You hear sailors talk of some that will kill you in minutes. They all sting but some of them have terrible toxins -"

She stopped, her voice catching. "It's the Sea King!" she said. "He sent it here to find my son! It's punishment for talking with Caspian. It's gonna kill him!"

Regina followed Ursula as she raced back to the house. Regina sincerely hoped Ursula was overreacting, but when they reached Eric, he had slipped into unconsciousness, his breathing barely even noticeable.

Ursula shook her son, trying to wake him, but she made no progress. "Do something!" she shouted desperately at Regina.

Regina turned away from the scene, trying to think. She had no experience with this poison and no idea how to treat it. The herbs might help open the boy's airways, but they would not slow the toxins. She turned back to Eric, and she could see he was fading fast. There was only one option.

"You love your son, don't you?" asked Regina, turning toward Ursula. "You'd do anything for him? Even give your own life?"

Ursula looked confused, as though she didn't understand what Regina was asking. "Y-yes, yes, of course," she answered.

"Then I need your help," Regina told her, moving closer to Eric. "We are going to draw the poison out through magic."

"But I've never done anything like that before," said Ursula.

"It's very simple," Regina told her as she raised her hands over Eric's body. "You've got to think about what you are doing and why you're doing it. You've got think to about your son and how much you love him and how you'd do anything to save him. And the magic will work."

Ursula raised her hands uncertainly over her son.

"The poison has to go somewhere," Regina continued. "Which means it will go into us. I can't promise we'll be safe. But if we can dilute the amount in Eric's body, maybe he can live."

"You mean, he could live and I could die?" asked Ursula, uncertain about the prospect of leaving her son alone.

"If we can both do this right," said Regina. "Then we should all make it out alive."

Eric gave a gasp, and Ursula called his name.

"Now!" said Regina, and she closed her eyes to concentrate.

She knew nothing about this poison. Was it enough to kill an adult? And if it was, would splitting it between her and Ursula be enough? Eric was such a sweet little boy; she couldn't let him suffer. Since his arrival, she had found herself loving him as though he were her own. She had no hesitations about giving whatever it took to save his life, not even her own life.

But she couldn't help the thought of Robin entering her mind. She'd promised to let him know if she ever attempted something like this again, but there was no time now.

She knew the spell was working because she could feel her hands burning as the poison filtered through them. The pain traveled up her arms. She began to feel dizzy and she knew it wasn't from the magic. She was acutely aware of her breathing, anticipating the moment when it would become difficult. She could die from this, she realized, and she'd never get to tell Robin goodbye.

She hesitated, and then pushed the thought of her husband out of her mind. She focused on nothing but the little boy before her. She focused until the poison took its toll and she felt herself hits the floor.

* * *

She awoke once to Robin's face. He was rubbing some kind of cream on her hands, arms, and chest. She tried to say something to him, but her lips were heavy and she couldn't move.

When she awoke the second time, she found she could move, and she didn't feel as exhausted.

Robin was with her, as always. He smiled at her when he saw she was awake. "You know," he said. "I just might have to resign from my position if I have to keep abandoning it to look after you."

His tone was humorous, and she smiled back at him. "How long?"

"Just one night this time," he said, sitting down on the bed next to her. "We got lucky. There's a retired sailor in the city who had experience in treating jellyfish stings."

"Eric?" she asked.

"He's fine," Robin told her. "He's running around like nothing happened."

"Ursula?"

"She's fine too. She didn't lose consciousness. Once the ointment had some time to work on her, she was fine."

Regina leaned back into the pillows behind her. "I know you're tied of this," she sighed. "I am too."

Robin put an arm around her. "It's the life we have for now."

Regina shook her head. As much as she might tell herself otherwise, she couldn't be content with this. "I don't want to put our family on hold," Regina told him. "I want a baby," she said. "Our baby." She thought of little Eric, his beautiful face and his buoyant nature. She wanted a child for her own so badly.

"If you want a baby," said Robin with a determined tone. "They we'll have one."

Tears came her eyes as she realized how badly she wanted it and how much it couldn't happen. "We can't have a child when there's such a risk to our own lives." She thought of Ursula and her hesitance to risk leaving Eric on his own. "We can't risk our child grown up without us. I won't put them in that situation."

Sobs came to her, and the movement hurt her chest, her lungs apparently not fully healed. But she couldn't stop. "This isn't what I wanted for us."

Robin brought himself closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. "We will have a family," he told her. "We'll make the life we wanted."

His words did little to lift her spirits. But he kissed her and held her and rocked her until she fell asleep.


	11. Sea Shell

Ursula was glad to see Regina coming toward her. When Regina had collapsed, she'd been uncertain as to whether she would pull through.

Ursula had not lost consciousness. She didn't know if that meant she'd been able to withstand the poison better or if she'd simply gotten less of it. She'd been unable to make the magic work at first. Her thoughts of how much she loved Eric and how far she was willing to go to save him had only caused her further distress.

So she'd focused on the only thing that she thought could give her some stability. She thought of the Sea King, how it was his fault Eric was dying. She focused on her anger, and the thought of how if Eric died she would hunt down the Sea King herself and destroy him, with or without Rumplestiltskin's help. She would not let that merman take her son from her. And with those thoughts, power had coursed through her. She hadn't realized magic was something that could come from within her rather than the result of some mystical recipe.

"I just wanted to make sure everything was all right," said Regina.

"We're both fine," Ursula told her. "Thank you."

She remembered Rumplestiltskin's words, that she could be more powerful than Regina. She didn't feel more powerful. Regina clearly knew more about magic than she did. Ursula felt there was a lot she could learn from her.

"I wanted to let you know," said Regina. "That I understand your need to have your son. I want to help you find some way to deal with Eric's land sickness."

Ursula smiled. "I appreciate that." And yet, she couldn't help but feel like it wasn't enough. She realized Regina's knowledge and abilities were limited. The use of magic drained her. And even though she was sure there was much she and Regina could do together, how much more could she learn from the man who had taught Regina everything she knew?

"Are you okay?" Regina asked. "You seem distracted."

"It's just," Ursula admitted. "Since the Sea King's attack - I mean, I've always known - but I feel it more now - I just can't take care of Eric the way that I want to."

There was much she wanted for Eric, and while Regina and her husband were wonderful people, this life was not enough. She couldn't protect him, she couldn't give him everything that he needed, and she couldn't give him everything that she wanted to give him. She was powerless to move herself up in the world.

"We'll work through it," Regina told her. "We'll make sure Eric gets everything that he needs."

Ursula nodded at her, but she needed more - Eric needed more. And Regina couldn't give her that.

She assured Regina that everything was fine. And when she left, Ursula went into her house and picked up her spell book. Rumplestiltskin had been right. These spells were useless to her. They were nothing like the power she had felt as she'd attempted to save Eric's life.

And if she was going to save his life again, if she was going to protect him from the Sea King and give him everything he could ever want, she was going to need Rumplestiltskin's help.

* * *

Regina never heard from Ursula again. From the day she found the house empty she always wondered what had become of her and Eric. And she feared Rumplestlitskin may have gotten to them. Though she'd tried to find Ursula again, she'd been unsuccessful.

Seasons passed, and very little changed from what it had been. Crime in Nottingham continued to teeter between controlled and uncontrollable. Robin continued to ask the King for more men or to exchange others. Regina continued to want a child without being able to have one.

Nothing changed until the day Snow White showed up at their door.

"It's father," she told them. "Something's wrong with him!"

When Regina and Robin continued to press her for more information, she told them some woman had arrived at the castle a few days ago and ever since her father had been acting strangely. She had left as soon as her father had announced he was marrying again.

Regina felt in her heart she knew who this strange woman was, but she said nothing as she, Snow, Robin, and his men rode to the castle.

"Maybe Snow and I should go in alone," Regina suggested when they arrived. "Seeing the Sherriff and his men might be a bit too alarming."

Robin nodded at her. "We'll set up a perimeter," he said. And then he kissed her quickly.

Regina and Snow made their way unhindered into the castle. Any guards or servants they passed did not question their presence. At last they found the King and his bride to be in the courtyard.

"Ursula," breathed Regina, her heart dropping.

"You know her?" asked Snow.

"I did once," said Regina.

Ursula smiled at her and opened her arms. "Regina! How wonderful for you to join us."

"Ursula, what are you doing?" asked Regina. The King stood at Ursula's side, her orange spiral sea shell hanging from his neck, a glazed look in his eyes.

"What you never could," she said.

Regina stared at her.

"You could have had this life," said Ursula. "This power. But you threw it away."

"I didn't want it," Regina told her.

"Well, you were a fool not to. Finally, I'm about to have everything."

"Ursula, listen to me," Regina pleaded. "Nothing good can come -"

"Everything good is about come," Ursula told her. "Eric will have the life I always wanted to give him, no one will control my destiny, and very soon I will make sure the Sea King can never bring us harm again."

Regina cast her gaze around desperately, looking for anything that might help her. Was there no way of reasoning with her former friend?

"What have you done to my father?" Snow insisted.

"Your father is fine," Ursula smiled, gesturing at the King. "Talk to him."

Snow went to her father's side. "Daddy?" she said, kneeling before him and taking his hands. "Daddy?"

Leopold shook his head as though clearing it, and his eyes returned to their normal clarity. "Snow?" he said, looking down at her. "Snow? Why are you so distressed, darling?"

"Daddy," pleaded Snow. "You can't marry this woman."

"What woman?" he asked. And his eyes glazed over again. "Ursula is a fine woman," he said, all expression gone from his face. "She'll make a fine queen and a good mother."

Snow turned to Ursula, tears in her eyes. "What have you done to him?"

"Your father is perfectly within his own will and mind so long as his thoughts don't stray to me or Eric. Once that happens, he will do and think as I wish him too."

Snow looked back up at her father. In a moment of realization, she grasped at the sea shell hanging from his neck. But she was knocked on her back with a blast of magic.

Ursula laughed. "Did you think I wouldn't have protected it?" She knelt next to her future stepdaughter. "Everything will be fine, Snow, don't you see? You'll still have your father. I have no desire to harm him. Everything will be as it was before. Expect now you'll have a stepbrother and a stepmother."

"But his mind won't be his own," said Snow. "You'll control him."

"Only in select matters," said Ursula, as though that made all the difference. "Really, I don't see why this is distressing you so much. Didn't you want a family?"

"This isn't the way, Ursula," said Regina. "Let him go."

"No." Ursula stood, her voice and face becoming stern. "I have worked too hard to get where I am to walk away from it. Nor will I have it taken from me."

Regina raised her hands in a defensive gesture. "I'm not here to take anything from you."

Ursula fixed her with a look. "Then tell your husband his men are unnecessary. This wedding will commence, and nothing will stop it." She turned to the King. "I must get ready, darling. I suggest you do the same."

"Of course, my love," said Leopold. He kissed his bride robotically.


	12. Ceremony

Regina ran back toward the castle entrance to alert her husband that the king had been compromised by Ursula's magic. The conversation was short as already castle guards were approaching Robin's men and requesting they leave the premises "by order of the King."

Robin told Regina to find Snow, assuring her he wouldn't be far behind. Regina was able to easily slip passed the guards - their concern apparently only for Robin and his men. She eventually found Snow in her room, digging her bow and arrows out from under her bed.

"She won't have this kingdom," said Snow, straightening as she slung the quiver over her should. "She won't have my father."

Regina silently agreed that the situation was bad. She grasped the hilt of the rapier at her side. She didn't want things to turn violent, but that might be the only solution. "The guards are keeping Robin back," she told Snow.

"Is Ursula controlling them too?" she asked.

Regina shook her head. "Their eyes didn't look glazed. I just don't think they realize she's controlling your father."

Snow nodded. "Then it's up to us to stop this."

They made their way through the castle halls. Servants were bustling to and fro with supplies for the ceremony and celebration. They paid Snow and Regina little mind. Regina wondered if it was a good thing Robin and his men couldn't get through the gate. A full fight would bring chaos with so many people running around.

At last they found Ursula in the Queen's dressing room, having her long veil fixed to her head. "Now, really," she said, seeing their reflection in her mirror. "This is a bit excessive, isn't it?" She turned slowly to face them and dismissed her attendants. "I take it you haven't come to help," she sighed, noticing their weapons.

Snow fitted an arrow into her bow. "Release my father."

Ursula laughed. "Really, dear, you think you could hurt me? By all means, fire. Just be aware you might make me angry. And I would really like to enjoy my wedding day."

"There isn't going to be a wedding," said Snow.

Ursula spread her arms. "Then stop it."

Snow hesitated and glanced at Regina, who shook her head. But Snow turned back to her target and fired.

Ursula stretched out her hand and the arrow shattered before reaching her. "I think that's enough." She pushed her hands out before her, and Snow and Regina were knocked on their backs by a gust of air. Ursula took a few steps toward them. "I am willing to welcome you two as guests if you agree to put the weapons away."

Regina struggled to get to her feet, the blow having knocked the air out of her. But eventually, she managed to stand and draw her sword. "Snow's right, Ursula," she said. "This has to stop."

Snow regained her stance as well.

"Have it your way, then." Ursula raised her arms and a powerful gust of wind started that pushed Regain and Snow back against the wall. Ursula began walking toward them, and the wind grew stronger to where Regina was finding it difficult to breathe.

"Mommy!"

Ursula dropped her arms. Regina and Snow dropped to the ground as Ursula turned around to look at her son. "Eric! Look at you! How handsome you are!" She stepped over to him.

"Regina!" he said, happily, looking up at her.

"Regina and Snow were just coming by to offer their congratulations," said Ursula, busying herself with adjusting Eric's princely uniform. "You are going to look so handsome during the ceremony."

While Ursula was occupied with her son, trying to draw his attention from the situation, Snow slowly took up her bow once more. Without getting off the floor, she took hold of an arrow, strung it, and let it lose. Ursula didn't see it, not right away. But Eric did, and he stepped in front of his mother to protect her.

All three women let out strangled screams, Ursula cradling her the body of her son as he fell. Snow was frozen in terror. Regina closed her eyes, feeling her way outward with magic to try to find some life force left in the small child, but there was none.

No one moved as Ursula cried over her son. At last she turned to Snow. "I will destroy you," she said. "I will destroy you and everything you care about." She stood, lying her son's body at her feet. She raised her arms again, air drawing toward her this time.

Regina regained her senses. "Snow," she said, going to the young girl who still had not moved. "Snow, we have to go. Now!" She pulled Snow from the room and down the hall, knowing they'd never make it out the doors in time. There was an explosion of sound - a long desperate shriek. Pain erupted in Regina ears as she pulled Snow to the ground. Pottery exploded around them, suits of armor and tapestries fell to the ground, and the whole castle shook.

Regina kept Snow pinned beneath her, covering her as much as she could while also trying to protect herself. The scream went on and on, and Regina added her own voice to it as she thought her head would explode. But at last it ended. It took a moment, but Regina regained her feet. She knew going back to face Ursula now would be suicide. Pulling Snow with her, they headed for the gate.

* * *

Regina, Snow, and Robin laid on their stomachs in the safe house Robin had constructed many years before. They had all made it out of the castle safely, but there was no telling what the after effects of what had happened would be.

Snow was still in shock. "I will never fire a bow again," was all Regina had been able to get out of her. And indeed, she would never fire an arrow until many years later when she would shoot an ogre in the eye to save her 28 year old daughter.

The safe house was little more than a dug out hole in the ground with a cover of woven leaves and twigs for camouflage. They had hidden there after fleeing the castle. Regina still felt uneasy that they had fled. But the guards had been in a full fight with Robin's men, and Eric's death had triggered something within his mother. Regina had known anger and power, and Ursula held more than she ever had. They couldn't stand against her. But even knowing staying would have meant their lives, Regina couldn't shake the feeling that by failing they had somehow made the wrong decision.

They waited in the dirt without speaking for hours, and at last there came a sound as smooth as a bird's twitter. Anyone who hadn't grown accustomed to it would have taken it as such, but Regina knew it was the signal Robin and his men used.

Robin turned on his side so to be closer to the opening of the dug out. He gave a similar whistle, and the sound came again.

Satisfied, Robin pulled back the cover. John stood before them with a lantern, looking grim. "The wedding ceremony was carried out," he told them. "The new Queen has declared Nottingham a lawless town. The bandits have returned."

"Then they'll be coming for us," said Robin. "We'll have to run."

"Where will we go?" asked Regina, but she knew the answer as soon as the question left her lips.

"We're going to Sherwood."


	13. Dark Curse

The pain was unlike anything Regina had ever experienced, and she was sure she was keeping half of Sherwood awake with her cries - though in the midst of the pain she didn't really care and she certainly wouldn't be the first woman in the final stages of labor to have done so.

There were several people around her - Robin had never once left her side, the midwife was constantly checking her progress, John was standing off to the side after Regina had yelled at him for some reason she could no longer remember, and there was Meredith who had just recently had her own first child and whom Regina had asked to be there to help calm her nerves with the whole process.

As the pain grew worse and she began to forget who exactly was with her and instead focused more on the fact she was firmly being supported by their arms, she began to think of Snow. She would have loved for Snow to have been here with her, to meet the child that was technically - depending on how you looked at her - her step-sibling.

But Snow hadn't taken to Sherwood well. With the Queen's oppression, Sherwood had soon become the busy and bustling place Regina had remembered it as. People from all over the kingdom flocked to the refuge as their families and livelihoods were threatened.

The situation was not a happy one. People were terrified of the new Queen and her effect on their lives. But Regina couldn't help taking some joy in the communal life she had previously found herself so well suited for. She had people to care for regularly and people to in turn care for her. Life became a daily routine of people reaching out to help one another, and Regina reveled in it. It was the life she had missed and had thought she would never see again.

But when the death of King came, and the Queen placed a bounty on Snow's head, the common people started looking to Snow to reclaim the throne. The pressure was difficult, but Regina knew even more difficult for Snow was reconciling her responsibility in Eric's death.

Snow thanked her and Robin for everything they had done for her but said she needed to be on her own. Robin thought her foolish, that she was sure to get herself captured or killed on her own. But Regina understood her need for solitude. And so, with some difficultly and much worry for her safety, Regina and Robin gave her some supplies and took her the safest route from Sherwood before offering their goodbyes. They could do nothing else for her, and they hadn't seen her since.

Often, Regina's thoughts had gone to Snow and she had wondered what struggles the girl had faced. Whatever they may have been, Regina thought as she took support in the arms around her and bore down against the pain, she couldn't have faced anything as bad as this.

Despite the terror the reign of the new Queen held, Sherwood had offered a more stable life for Regina and Robin than Nottingham. With so many people willing to help one another, neither she nor Robin had needed to hold so much responsibility on their own. They'd been able to spend more time with each other and worry less about what the coming days would hold. Regina had settled in nicely, and her desire to have family grew stronger.

When she'd approached her husband about having a child, he had cautioned her to wait, that though their lives had stabilized, the political situation had not. There was no telling what the future held, and it might not be a wise decision to bring a child into it until they had a better idea. She had agreed with his wisdom for a time. But after watching one happy family after another gain a child of their own, Regina reached a point where she couldn't wait any longer.

She cried out again, wondering how her body didn't split in two from the trauma of it all. She pushed down hard, wanting so badly to end it all. She couldn't even remember in that moment why having a child had seemed like a good idea.

She took a moment to breathe. The midwife and Meredith both told her how wonderful she doing and how she was nearly done. Robin was kissing the side of her head. She had half a mind to tell them all to go away with how tired and fed up she was with this ordeal, but on the other hand she didn't know how she'd get through this without them.

The pain started once more and she bore down again, crying out at the end. But then she felt the relief wash over her as the pain diminished and she heard the baby's cries.

"It's a boy," said the midwife. She quickly wrapped the child in blankets and handed him to his mother.

Regina took the babe and let herself lean back into Robin's arms. She was overcome with wonder and love by this tiny thing she held. He was so small, but he had some strands of dark hair on his head like his mother and she could see he had also inherited her brown eyes. He had his father's nose.

She heard Robin sniff behind as her he reached out a hand toward his son. Meredith squeezed Regina's arm. "He's beautiful," she said. And then she left to give the couple some privacy, pulling John with her, while the midwife finished up her work.

Whatever thoughts the pain had made her think, Regina felt now as she held her child in her arms that it was all worth it. She had never seen something so beautiful nor felt so joyous. However extensive the troubles outside Sherwood, Regina held no fears of them. How could she worry when in that moment everything felt so perfect?

"Happy birthday, Roland," she whispered as she kissed the tiny boy on the head.

* * *

Roland grew into every bit the bright and bouncing young boy Regina had imagined. He was the joy of her life. Although sometimes when she looked at him, in little moments when the angle and lighting was just right, he reminded her strongly of Eric and she felt some fear in her heart.

The Queen's wrath had been terrible, and Regina often wondered how things might of been if Eric hadn't died. Would Ursula had kept the king alive? Would she have lashed out so harshly against the people? How far would her thirst for power have taken her if she hadn't had her anger at Eric's death behind it?

Although she knew Ursula tirelessly hunted Snow, she often wondered what Ursula's feelings toward herself were. Did Ursula hate her just as vehemently? She hadn't released the blow that killed Eric, but she had been in the room. How many times had she played that scene over and over in her head wondering if there was something she could have done to stop it?

Did Ursula think the same? Did she somehow hold her responsible for simply having been there? Ursula had released the bandits into Nottingham, but it was uncertain if that act was to get at Robin or simply a political maneuver. What would Ursula do if she ever saw her again? Would she want vengeance? Would she try to take from her everything she held dear?

And then Regina chided herself for such thoughts. Ursula's wrath was not a personal worry - it effected everyone. All the people worried for their safety and their families. All of them wondered if they would ever be able to return to their normal lives. None of them wanted to meet the Queen face to face. Regina would recognize that she was being selfish, and she would push her thoughts from her mind.

As Roland grew, news spread of Snow White returning to the kingdom with plans to take back the throne. The people rose up, Robin and Regina included, to join her. And Ursula was overthrown. Joy and peace returned to the land, but it wasn't to last long. Many people didn't know what to make of Ursula's threat at Snow's wedding. The former Queen had been made powerless, but her words had been terrifying.

When Regina saw the cloud of purple smoke drifting through the forest toward their home, she knew it was Ursula's revenge come to take everything from them. She ran into the cabin where Robin and little Roland were gathered. Robin ran to the windows, trying to size the enemy, but there was nothing that could be done.

The family huddled together in the middle of the room, holding on to one another and vowing to not let go no matter what may happen. Regina closed her eyes, tightened her hand on Robin's, and buried her face in Roland's hair as the cloud overtook them. At first, she felt nothing. And then a deep emptiness overtook her, and whatever she'd been trying so hard to hold on to, she forgot.


End file.
